4 (Beyoncé album)

Untitled

4 is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Beyoncé, released on June 24, 2011 by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. Following a career hiatus that reignited her creativity, Beyoncé was inspired to create a record with a basis in traditional rhythm and blues that stood apart from contemporary popular music. Her collaborations with songwriters and record producers The-Dream, Tricky Stewart and Shea Taylor produced a mellower tone, developing diverse vocal styles and retro influences from funk, hip hop and soul.

Severing professional ties with father and manager Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé eschewed the music of her previous releases in favor of an intimate, personal album. 4's lyrics emphasize monogamy, female empowerment and self-reflection, a result of Beyoncé considering a maturer message to contend artistic credibility. The album was praised by critics for its fusion of various genres and her strong vocal ability; many publications included it on their year-end lists.

In May 2011, Beyoncé submitted seventy-two songs to Columbia Records for consideration, twelve songs of which appeared on the standard edition. 4 was promoted in mid-2011 by television performances and festival appearances, such as Beyoncé's headlining Glastonbury Festival set. It was her fourth consecutive album to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200, and it also reached number one in Brazil, France, Ireland, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. 4 spawned the international singles "Run the World (Girls)", "Best Thing I Never Had", "Party", "Love on Top" and "Countdown". "Love on Top" won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance at the 55th annual ceremony. As of 2013, 4 has sold 3 million copies worldwide, and 1.4 million copies in the United States.

Development

Following the release of her third album I Am... Sasha Fierce and a world tour, Beyoncé took a career hiatus in 2010 "to live life [and] to be inspired by things again". During her hiatus, she "killed" Sasha Fierce, the alter-ego used in her previous album, as she felt she could now merge her two personalities. She severed professional ties with father and manager Mathew Knowles, who had guided her career since the 1990s with Destiny's Child, noting that the decision made her feel vulnerable.

In an interview for Complex, Beyoncé expressed dissatisfaction with contemporary radio. She intended 4 to help change that status, commenting, "Figuring out a way to get R&B back on the radio is challenging ... With 4 I tried to mix R&B from the '70s and the '90s with rock 'n' roll and a lot of horns to create something new and exciting. I wanted musical changes, bridges, vibrata, live instrumentation and classic songwriting." On her website she wrote, "The album is definitely an evolution. It's bolder than the music on my previous albums because I'm bolder. The more mature I become and the more life experiences I have, the more I have to talk about. I really focused on songs being classics, songs that would last, songs that I could sing when I'm 40 and when I'm 60." Beyoncé also sought to make more artistic music, rather than purely commercially-orientated songs.

Although much of 4's inspiration came from "touring, travelling, watching rock bands and attending festivals", the album's early musical direction was influenced by Nigerian Afrobeat musician Fela Kuti, whose passion for music motivated Beyoncé. She worked with the band from Fela!, the Broadway musical based on Kuti's life. Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young, one of 4's engineers, later described how Kuti's use of percussion and horns influenced the track "End of Time". She also found additional influences in Earth, Wind & Fire, The Stylistics, Lauryn Hill, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson. She used hip hop for a "broader sound" and looked to bring soul singing back, stating, "I used a lot of the brassiness and grittiness in my voice that people hear in my live performances, but not necessarily on my records."

Recording

I said I'm going to take a risk and I'm going to bring R&B music back and I'm going to add bridges to songs and chord changes. I'm going to sing about love and do the opposite of what I thought I was going to do. I'm not going to try to be cool, forget being cool, I'm going to be honest, I'm going to be sad, I'm going to be passionate, I'm going to be vulnerable, I'm going to sing from my heart.

Beyoncé, Life Is But a Dream, 2013

Three months into her hiatus in March 2010, Beyoncé began recording in Jay-Z's Roc the Mic Studios, New York City. One song—"Party"—was recorded because she wanted to see what working relationship would develop with engineer DJ Swivel. Kanye West assisted the production of "Party" after Beyoncé was impressed by his work on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). André 3000, the only featured artist on 4, contributed a rap verse to the song, which he recorded in Georgia, US.

Six weeks later, in May 2010, she asked Swivel to work on the entire project. Concerning his working relationship with Beyoncé, he commented, "There was no 'We're doing this today.' It was a very kind of open project, where whatever she felt like recording at that time was what we'd work on. It was based on how she felt, her mood, and also her listening to the demos that writers would give us." With Swivel, she experimented with horns, drums, guitars and percussion instruments. Mostly inspired by the Fela! sessions, Swivel began to formulate beats using their own recordings and those from Fela! The project was moved to KMA Studios for a week and a half because Roc the Mic was not large enough. There they began recording "I Care", "Best Thing I Never Had" and "Rather Die Young", and completed "Party". They recorded the songs "Schoolin' Life", "1+1" and "Start Over" at Jungle City Studios in New York.

MSR Studios was the final New York City-based studio used, and where most of 4 was recorded—only "Party and "I Was Here" were recorded entirely at other studios. At MSR, Beyoncé emphasized the use of live instruments on songs such as "I Care" and "End of Time". Consequently, most of the instruments, including drums, keyboards, guitar and bass work, were recorded there and performed by Jeff Bhasker and Shea Taylor. Beyoncé asked Frank Ocean to write and record "I Miss You" at MSR, saying to Complex, "[Jay-Z] had a CD playing in the car one Sunday when we were driving to Brooklyn. I noticed his tone, his arrangements, and his storytelling. I immediately reached out to him—literally the next morning. I asked him to fly to New York and work on my record."

After listening to each song, Beyoncé would often request the addition of specific instruments, leaving her production team to make the sounds cohesive. Her vocals were recorded through an Avalon Design 737 preamp and compressed in an 1176 Peak Limiter with a 4:1 ratio. After recording the lead vocals for a track, Swivel cut them in different ways and he and Beyoncé picked the best, then recording the backing vocals. Beyoncé composed her own vocal arrangements and harmonies for each song. Her microphones were carefully placed to achieve a blend of sounds with a clear quality. Swivel spoke of her work ethic in an interview for Sound on Sound:

Beyoncé recorded at various locations, including Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in Wiltshire, England.

She's so fast and good at what she does that you can't afford to waste time on anything, so if we’re ready to record drums, for example, we’re going to work with whatever we have available right there and then. That's why we worked in such great studios, because we know they have great gear, and we don't need to worry about renting gear. Part of my job as an engineer is to make sure the sessions are not only moving along, but moving along at her pace.

After the move to MSR, Beyoncé and her production team began travelling. In the United Kingdom, they worked at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in Wiltshire—particularly using Gabriel's multi-instrument room—to create "Love on Top". Soon after, Beyoncé joined Jay-Z in a Sydney mansion, as he was working on his collaboration album Watch the Throne (2011) with Kanye West. There they created a "primitive studio" using a microphone, a rig out and Pro Tools software to record. Sessions were also held in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Honolulu.

In February 2011, MTV reported the project was nearing completion. 4 was mixed mostly at MixStar Studios in Virginia and mastered at Sterling Sound in New York City. The audio mastering was delayed by a week following the unexpected recording of "I Was Here". Diane Warren had played the song to Jay-Z during a telephone conversation, leading him to put Warren and Beyoncé in contact. In May 2011, Beyoncé submitted seventy-two songs in preparation for the album's release. According to Swivel, an eclectic range of songs were recorded, including ballads, "weird ethereal things" and 1990's R&B and Afrobeat-inspired songs. Columbia Records were reportedly overwhelmed with the "sheer volume of material she presented to them".

Composition

Beyoncé performing on a piano, singing the opening track of 4–"1+1"–on The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour

The final cut of 4 comprises twelve tracks on the standard edition and eighteen on the deluxe edition—three of which are remixes of "Run the World (Girls)". Critics viewed 4 as a major departure from Beyoncé's previous catalogue, with a distinctive mellower sound. The album consists mostly of mid-tempo R&B songs, with 1970s funk, 1980s pop and 1990s soul retro influences. The second half was more eclectic, exploring a variety of genres including hard rock, reggae and adult contemporary. The Guardian complimented the album's divergence from the "layering [of] Euro-synths on pop-step woomphs" that characterize the music of Beyoncé's contemporaries.

The balladry of the first half of 4 combines diverse vocal styles with the use of live instrumentation. "1+1" demonstrates Beyoncé's vocal-flexing over "magnificent guitar bombast" and a soft backing beat, while "Start Over", a mid tempo R&B ballad, uses a futuristic beat with electric elements and synthesizers. "I Miss You", with its "layers of atmospheric keyboards", ambient synthesizers and tinny 808 drums was sung in a half-whisper to exhibit intense emotion. "I Was Here", an understated pop-R&B ballad with indie rock inflections. primarily concerns self-reflection with dramatic vocals.

On other songs, Beyoncé explores womanhood. "Best Thing I Never Had", 4's fourth track, was described as a moment of self-realization and a "female call to arms". With vocals that allude to a "wounded bird turned resilient lioness", the song is built on a "winkly piano riff and beefy bass drums". "Dance for You" conveys a more sexual tone through breathy vocals and blaring electric guitars. It forgoes her typical empowerment themes in favor of sensual imagery and comfort with one's partner. "Run the World (Girls)", a female empowerment anthem reminiscent of Beyoncé's more contemporary work on I Am... Sasha Fierce, uses an energetic sample of Major Lazer's "Pon de Floor". The song incorporates "layered melodics", most prominently a military marching drumbeat, while Beyoncé's near-chanted delivery encompasses her full vocal range.

The tracks "Countdown" and "End of Time" were distinguished by their musical and lyrical experimentalism. "Countdown" was described as "everywhere on the genre map", although predominantly dancehall-led with a "bristling brass arrangement". Its chorus describes a relationship by counting backwards from ten, using a sample from Boyz II Men's "Uhh Ahh". "End of Time"'s pulsating, brass sound—reminiscent of a marching-band—was heavily influenced by Afrobeat musician Fela Kuti. Kuti's use of horns and percussion instruments was recreated and combined with elements of electronic music and synthesizers. "Lay Up Under Me" is also built on retro horns, featuring upbeat vocals, a sound Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork associated with Michael Jackson's 1979 album Off the Wall.

Other tracks were noted for their retro stylization. "Rather Die Young" is a throwback to 1960s doo-wop and Philadelphia soul, with a slow tempo and modern drums. "Party" achieves a vintage aesthetic through minimalistic production, replete with heavy synthesizers and a 1980s smooth-funk groove. The song is unique for its conversation-like structure, in which Beyoncé and guest-vocalist André 3000 sing verses that allude to socialization at parties. Elements of Prince's style was found on "Schoolin' Life" and "I Care". "Schoolin' Life" is an uptempo funk song, with lyrics that advise the listener to live life to the fullest while cautioning them about the consequences of excess. The chorus of "I Care" was compared to "Purple Rain", with themes of sadness and resentment, the song uses soft background vocals and dense percussion. "Love on Top" was noted for its energetic key changes with a joyful tone, evoking the work of Michael and Janet Jackson. Its retro sound is marked by a melding of horns as well as sweet backing harmonies that are most prominent on its bridge and chorus.

Release and artwork

4's release date in the United States was confirmed on May 18, 2011 to be June 28, 2011. On June 7, the album leaked onto the Internet in full; Beyoncé's legal representatives issued warnings to infringing websites and leaked tracks were soon removed from such sites. On June 9, Beyoncé responded to the leak through Facebook, commenting, "My music was leaked and while this is not how I wanted to present my new songs, I appreciate the positive response from my fans. When I record music I always think about my fans singing every note and dancing to every beat. I make music to make people happy and I appreciate that everyone has been so anxious to hear my new songs." Following the leak, reports circulated that Columbia Records executives hoped to cover their assets in fear that the album may be a commercial failure. Rumors had suggested that the label requested from Beyoncé to make changes to the record and reunite Destiny's Child, claims Columbia denied. In August 2013, NME reported that Sony Music were suing a forty-seven year-old man from Gothenburg for US$233,000 concerning the leak of 4. The deluxe version was released simultaneously with the standard edition in several countries. In the United States, it was available exclusively through Target.

In an interview for Billboard, Beyoncé stated that despite having another concept for the album, she was ultimately influenced by her fans to name the album 4. She described the number four as being "special" to her, as her and Jay-Z's birthday, several other family and friends' birthdays, and her wedding anniversary fall on the fourth day of the month. The cover of the standard edition was revealed on Beyoncé's website on May 18, 2011. Shot on the rooftop of the Hôtel Meurice in Paris, Beyoncé is looking into the distance with her arms raised over her head, wearing smokey eye makeup, thick gold cuffs and a fox-fur stole by cult French designer Alexandre Vauthier, embellished with Swarovski crystals by the Lesage embroidery house. The cover of the deluxe version was shown on June 16, where Beyoncé is dressed in a tight-fitting blue-purple dress by French designer Maxime Simoens, holding her hands in her hair. For its artwork, she opted for clothing made by lesser-known designers. The promotional and interior-package images for 4 were shot at the same time.

Promotion

Beyoncé, on the eve of 4's release, opens her set at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival with "Crazy in Love". She was the first solo female artist to headline the event in over twenty years.

Beyoncé made several appearances on television and in live shows to promote 4. She performed "Run the World (Girls)" for the first time on May 17, 2011, on Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular at the United Center in Chicago. She also performed the song at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards. On May 25, "1+1" was made available for download through the iTunes Store in the United States. The same day, "1+1" was performed at the American Idol final; she introduced it as her favorite song. In June, she performed at the Palais Nikaia in Nice, Zénith in Lille, and the Galaxie in Amnéville. On June 26, Beyoncé was the closing act at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival in the United Kingdom. She was the first solo female artist to headline the Pyramid stage at the Glastonbury Festival in more than twenty years. A pre-taped performance of "Best Thing I Never Had" and "End of Time" at the Glastonbury Festival was broadcast during the 2011 BET Awards. The following day, Beyoncé's exclusive hour-long interview with Piers Morgan in London was broadcast on Piers Morgan Tonight. She also appeared on the finale of France's The X Factor to perform "Run the World" and "Best Thing I Never Had". An MTV television special, Beyoncé: Year of 4, premiered on June 30, documenting Beyoncé's life during 4's production.

On July 1, Beyoncé appeared on Good Morning America as part of its "Summer Concert Series" in New York City. She also projected images from 4 on a number of London's landmarks, including Madame Tussauds and Battersea Power Station. She then traveled to Scotland to perform at the T in the Park Festival on July 10, 2011. The next day, she performed at the Oxegen Festival in Ireland. On July 28, 2011, Beyoncé performed "1+1" and "Best Thing I Never Had" on The View; the latter was also performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon the same day. From August 16–19, Beyoncé held the 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé concerts at the Roseland Ballroom to a standing room only audience. Subsequently, the Live at Roseland: Elements of 4 DVD was released in November. "Love on Top" was sung at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, Beyoncé finished the performance by unbuttoning her blazer and rubbing her stomach to confirm her pregnancy. A live performance of "Countdown" recorded in July was broadcast on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in November.

Singles

4 was Beyoncé' first album that yielded no number one singles in the United States, as no song from 4 reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100. "Run the World (Girls)" was released internationally as the lead single from 4 on April 21, 2011. It reached number twenty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number eleven on the UK Albums Chart. "Best Thing I Never Had" followed on June 1, 2011. It fared much better on national charts, reaching number sixteen in the United States, number five in New Zealand and number three in the United Kingdom. "Party" was released as an urban contemporary single in the US on August 30, 2011; its remix, featuring J. Cole, was released in the United States, Canada and some European countries on October 24, 2011. "Love on Top" was released in Australia as a contemporary hit radio single in September 2011; it was released in Italy, Belgium and the United States later. It topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for seven consecutive weeks. "Countdown" was released in the United States and parts of Europe, beginning October 4, 2011. "I Care" was released in Italy only on March 23, 2012, while "End of Time" was released in the UK only on March 28, 2012.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The A.V. Club	B–
Entertainment Weekly	B
The Guardian
NME	4/10
Pitchfork Media	8.0/10
Rolling Stone
Slant Magazine
Spin	8/10
Uncut

4 received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 73 based on 36 reviews. Michael Cragg of The Observer called it Beyoncé's "most accomplished album yet". Slant Magazine's Eric Henderson said that 4 succeeds vocally as an album of mostly intimate and slow-tempo ballads. Mikael Wood of Spin magazine applauded its ballads, mid-tempo songs, and evocations of late 1970s and early 1980s pop-soul. In his review for Rolling Stone, Jody Rosen wrote that Beyoncé eschews contemporary production styles for a more personal and idiosyncratic album. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times viewed it as a good showcase for a torch singer and said that Beyoncé convincingly sings about heartbreak and the strong emotional effect of love. Pitchfork Media's Ryan Dombal found it easygoing, retro-informed, and engaging because it shows "one of the world's biggest stars exploring her talent in ways few could've predicted". AllMusic's Andy Kellman said that the quality of the songs and Beyoncé's singing compensate for the album's assorted arrangement. Uncut viewed it is an exceptional album in spite of occasionally trite lyrics.

In a less enthusiastic review, Adam Markovitz of Entertainment Weekly felt that its first-half is marred by boring ballads and that 4's material is not on-par with Beyoncé's vocal talent. In his review for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis was ambivalent towards the album's 1980s influence and felt that, despite well written songs, it is not very consequential. Time magazine's Claire Suddath wrote that the songs lack lyrical substance, even though they are performed well. Greg Kot, writing in the Chicago Tribune, said that the album sounds inconsistent, short, and unfinished. NME magazine's Hamish MacBain believed that Beyoncé does not progress from her past work and that "even the OK bits here" sound "uninspired".

Accolades

4 was included on various publication's year-end lists. It was ranked as the best album of the year by The New Yorker, and came in the runner-up spot on lists produced by Spin and Amazon. The album was ranked within the top 10 by MSN, where it came in at number three, The Guardian and MTV, which placed it at number four, and the Chicago Sun Times, which placed it at number six. The BBC ranked it at number seven, while The New York Times listed it as the 10th best album of the year. The album had strong showings on other lists, where it was placed number 13 by Consequence of Sound, number 18 by Stereogum, number 25 by Rolling Stone, and number 27 by Pitchfork. 4 was included in NPR's Top 50 Favorite Albums of 2011, and was ranked at number 26 in the Pazz & Jop's critics poll. It was listed at 37 on Rolling Stone's Women Who Rock: 50 Greatest Albums of All Time.

4 won R&B Album of the Year at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards and received nominations at the 2011 American Music Awards, the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards, the 38th People's Choice Awards, the 43rd NAACP Image Awards and the 2012 Grammis. At the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, "Love on Top" won the Best Traditional R&B Performance Award.

Commercial performance

On its first day of release, 4 sold around 32,000 copies in the United Kingdom. According to the Official Charts Company data, this was more than the combined sales of its three nearest challengers: Adele's 19 (2008) and 21 (2011) and Lady Gaga's Born This Way (2011). After a week of sales, 4 debuted atop the UK Albums Chart on July 4, 2011, with first-week sales of 89,211 copies, staying there for a second week with sales of 44,929 copies. As of May 2013, 4 has sold 603,548 copies in the UK. 4 opened at number two on the Australian ARIA Albums chart, giving Beyoncé her highest chart debut there. 4 debuted at number three on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 8,700 copies in its first week. It debuted at number one in France, selling 12,393 copies in its first week. According to the Japanese music charting site Oricon, the album debuted at number ten, selling 18,984 copies for the week ending July 11, 2011.

In the United States, 4 debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 310,000 copies. This gave Beyoncé her fourth consecutive solo debut at the top of the chart, making her the second female artist and third artist overall to have her first four studio albums debut atop the Billboard 200. 4's first-week sales became Beyoncé's lowest sales start with a studio album to date. Keith Caulfield of Billboard magazine noted that the album was not released during the festive season and that Beyoncé was so far lacking a hit single, which could help explain the album's softer entry. It marks the third-largest sales week of the year, after the number one bows of Lady Gaga's Born This Way and Adele's 21." 4 became the ninth numerically titled album to top the chart since 1956. In its second week, the album remained at number one on the Billboard 200, despite a 63% sales decrease, selling 115,000 copies. It hence became the first album by Beyoncé to top the Billboard 200 albums chart for more than one week; an effort succeeded by her fifth album Beyoncé (2013) that remained there for three weeks. On August 1, 2011, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having shipped 1 million copies to retail stores. As of May 2013, 4 has sold 3 million copies worldwide and, as of July 2013, 1.4 million copies in the United States.

Track listings

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"1+1"	Terius "The-Dream" Nash Christopher "Tricky" Stewart Beyoncé Knowles	Knowles Nash Stewart	4:33
2.	"I Care"	Jeff Bhasker Chad Hugo Knowles	Bhasker Knowles[a]	3:59
3.	"I Miss You"	Frank Ocean Shea Taylor Knowles	Knowles S. Taylor	2:59
4.	"Best Thing I Never Had"	Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds Antonio Dixon Knowles Patrick "J. Que" Smith S. Taylor Larry Griffin, Jr. Caleb McCampbell	Knowles Edmonds Dixon S. Taylor S1 & Caleb	4:13
5.	"Party" (featuring André 3000)	Kanye West Bhasker Knowles Dexter R. Mills Douglas Davis Ricky Walters	Knowles West Bhasker[a]	4:05
6.	"Rather Die Young"	Bhasker Luke Steele Knowles	Bhasker Knowles[a] Steele[a]	3:42
7.	"Start Over"	S. Taylor Knowles Ester Dean	Knowles S. Taylor	3:19
8.	"Love on Top"	Knowles Nash S. Taylor	Knowles S. Taylor	4:27
9.	"Countdown"	Nash S. Taylor Knowles Dean Cainon Lamb Julie Frost Michael Bivins Nathan Morris Wanya Morris	Knowles S. Taylor	3:32
10.	"End of Time"	Knowles Nash S. Taylor David Taylor	Knowles Nash Switch[b]	3:43
11.	"I Was Here"	Diane Warren	Ryan Tedder Brent Kutzle Knowles[c] Kuk Harrell[c]	3:59
12.	"Run the World (Girls)"	Nash Knowles Wesley Pentz D. Taylor Adidja Palmer Nick van de Wall	Switch Nash Knowles[a] S. Taylor[a]	3:56
Total length:				46:33

Japanese bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"Dreaming"	Edmonds Dixon Knowles Smith	Knowles Edmonds Dixon	4:39

Deluxe edition bonus disc

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Lay Up Under Me"	Knowles Sean Garrett Mikkel S. Eriksen Tor Erik Hermansen S. Taylor	Knowles S. Taylor	4:13
2.	"Schoolin' Life"	Knowles Nash S. Taylor Carlos McKinney	Nash Knowles[a] Los da Mystro[a]	4:53
3.	"Dance for You"	Knowles Nash Stewart	Knowles Nash Stewart	6:17
4.	"Run the World (Girls)" (Kaskade Club Remix)	Nash Knowles Pentz D. Taylor Palmer van de Wall	Switch Nash Knowles[a] S. Taylor[a] Kaskade[d]	5:02
5.	"Run the World (Girls)" (Red Top Club Remix)	Nash Knowles Pentz D. Taylor Palmer van de Wall	Switch Nash Knowles[a] S. Taylor[a] Jens Bergmark[d] Diplo[d]	6:02
6.	"Run the World (Girls)" (Jochen Simms Club Remix)	Nash Knowles Pentz D. Taylor Palmer van de Wall	Switch Nash Knowles[a] S. Taylor[a] Julian Napolitano[d]	6:19

2013 re-release

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Love on Top"	4:27
2.	"Party" (featuring André 3000)	4:04
3.	"Schoolin' Life"	4:52
4.	"Countdown"	3:33
5.	"I Miss You"	2:58
6.	"Dance for You"	6:15
7.	"I Care"	3:59
8.	"Rather Die Young"	3:43
9.	"1+1"	4:34
10.	"End of Time"	3:44
11.	"Run the World (Girls)"	4:51
12.	"Best Thing I Never Had"	4:13
13.	"Start Over"	3:19
14.	"I Was Here"	3:58
Total length:		57:38

Notes

• ^{^a} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^b} signifies an additional producer
• ^{^c} signifies a vocal producer
• ^{^d} signifies a remixer
• The deluxe edition contains an exclusive version of the music video for "Run the World (Girls)".
• "Party" samples "La Di Da Di" as performed by Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew featuring MC Ricky D. and written by Douglas Davis and Ricky Walters.
• "Countdown" samples "Uhh Ahh" as performed by Boyz II Men and written by Michael Bivins, Nathan Morris and Wanya Morris.
• "Run the World (Girls)" samples "Pon de Floor" as performed by Major Lazer and written by Afrojack, Adidja Palmer, Wesley Pentz and David Taylor.

Personnel

The following people are credited on the album:

Managerial

• Naima Cochrane – marketing
• Scott Greer – marketing
• Beyoncés – executive producer

• Meaghan Lyons – A&R operations
• Ty Ty Smith – A&R
• Teresa LaBarbera White – A&R

Performance credits

• Beyoncé – vocals, background vocals
• André 3000 – vocals, background vocals
• Luke Steele – background vocals
• Kanye West – background vocals

• Consequence – background vocals
• Ryan Tedder – background vocals
• Billy Kraven – background vocals

Visuals and imagery

• Tony Duran – photography
• Neal Farinah – glam team
• Greg Gex – photography
• Ty Hunter – fashion director
• Kimberly Kimble – glam team
• Lisa Logan – glam team

• Adam Larson – art director
• Melina Matsoukas – creative consultant
• Raquel Smith – stylist
• Jenke Ahmed Taily – creative director
• Francesca Tolot – glam team
• Ellen Von Unwerth – photography

Instruments

• Pete Wolford – guitar
• Nikki Glaspie – drums
• Lee Blaske – strings
• Drew Sayers – baritone, tenor
• Chad Hugo – rhythm guitar
• Jeff Bhasker – keyboard, guitar solo, keyboards and drum programming
• Rob Suchecki – guitar
• Cole Kamen-Green – trumpet
• Josiah Woodson – trumpet
• Nick Videen – tenor, alto saxophone

• Alex Asher – trombone
• Morgan Price – baritone saxophone, tenor
• Shea Taylor – alto saxophone, horns arrangement
• Luke Steele – guitar
• Robert "R.T." Taylor – guitar
• Pat Thrall – guitar
• Johnny Butler – tenor saxophone
• Jack Daley – bass guitar
• Ryan Tedder – drums, piano, additional programming
• Brent Kutzle – cello, guitar, additional programming

Technical and production

• Terius "The-Dream" Nash – production
• Christopher "Tricky" Stewart – production
• Beyoncé Knowles – production, vocal production
• Jeff Bhasker – production
• Shea Taylor – production
• Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds – production
• Antonio Dixon – production
• Symbolyc "Larry Griffin, Jr." One – production
• Caleb McCampbell – production
• Kanye West – production
• Luke Steele – production
• Tom Coyne – mastering
• David "Switch" Taylor – production
• Ryan Tedder – production
• Brent Kutzle – production
• Kuk Harrell – vocal production, vocal recording
• Wesley "Diplo" Pentz – production
• Carlos "Los Da Mystro" McKinney – production
• Kaskade – mix, additional production
• Jens Bergmark – mix production
• Julian Napolitano – mix production
• Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young – recording, vocal recording, mixing

• Mark Gray – engineering assistant
• Jason Sherwood – engineering assistant
• Steven Dennis – engineering assistant
• Pete Wolford – engineering assistant
• Scott Barnett – engineering assistant
• Tony Maserati – mixing
• Val Brathwaite – mixing assistant
• Ryan Kelly – engineering assistant
• Serge Nudel – mixing assistant, engineering assistant
• Gloria Kaba – engineering assistant
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• John Hanes – mixing engineer
• Phil Seaford – mixing assistant
• Gaylord Holomalia – engineering assistant
• Christian Mochizuki – engineering assistant
• Edwin Delahoz – engineering assistant
• Justin Hergett – engineering assistant
• Jon Castelli – engineering assistant
• Ramon Rivas – engineering assistant
• Chris Soper – engineering assistant
• Smith Carlson – engineering assistant
• Eric Aylands – engineering assistant
• Jon Sher – engineering assistant

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2011)	Peak position
Argentine Albums Chart	3
Australian Albums Chart	2
Australian Urban Albums Chart	1
Austrian Albums Chart	13
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)	4
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)	4
Brazilian Albums Chart	1
Canadian Albums Chart	3
Croatian Albums Chart	2
Czech Albums Chart	2
Danish Albums Chart	5
Dutch Albums Chart	2
Finnish Albums Chart	24
French Albums Chart	1
German Albums Chart	5
Greek Albums Chart	5
Hungarian Albums Chart	8
Irish Albums Chart	1
Italian Albums Chart	4
Japanese Albums Chart	10
Mexican Albums Chart	31
New Zealand Albums Chart	3
Norwegian Albums Chart	4
Polish Albums Chart	2
Portuguese Albums Chart	3
Russian Albums Chart	5
Scottish Albums Chart	1
Slovenian Albums Chart	6
South African Albums Chart	5
South Korean International Albums Chart	1
Spanish Albums Chart	1
Swedish Albums Chart	13
Swiss Albums Chart	1
Taiwanese Albums Chart	16
UK Albums Chart	1
UK R&B Albums Chart	1
US Billboard 200	1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2011)	Position
Australian Albums Chart	26
Australian Urban Albums Chart	3
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)	61
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)	81
Brazilian Albums Chart	11
Brazilian International Albums Chart	2
Danish Albums Chart	93
Dutch Albums Chart	29
French Albums Chart	77
French Digital Albums Chart	40
Hungarian Albums Chart	77
Italian Albums Chart	99
Polish Albums Chart	52
Russian Albums Chart	36
Swiss Albums Chart	57
UK Albums Chart	18
UK R&B Albums Chart	4
US Billboard 200	21
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	7

Chart (2012)	Position
Australian Urban Albums Chart	24
UK Albums Chart	79
US Billboard 200	91
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	13

Chart (2013)	Position
Australian Urban Albums Chart	29
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	73

Certifications

Country	Certifications
Australia (ARIA)	Platinum
Canada (Music Canada)	Gold
France (SNEP)	Gold
Ireland (IRMA)	Platinum
New Zealand (RMNZ)	Gold
Poland (ZPAV)	Platinum
Russia (NFPF)	Gold
United Kingdom (BPI)	2× Platinum
United States (RIAA)	Platinum

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Edition(s)
Australia	June 24, 2011	CD, digital download	Standard, deluxe
Austria		Digital download	Standard
Spain
Switzerland
Germany		CD, digital download	Standard, deluxe
Ireland			Standard
Netherlands			Standard, deluxe
France	June 27, 2011
Hong Kong
New Zealand
Poland			Eco, standard, deluxe, reissue
United Kingdom			Standard, deluxe
Argentina	June 28, 2011	Digital download	Standard
Brazil		CD, digital download	Standard, deluxe
Canada
United States
Japan	June 29, 2011
Denmark
Philippines	July 1, 2011		Standard
Thailand	July 6, 2011	CD
China	October 20, 2011
United States	July 24, 2012	Expanded edition
	March 29, 2013	Digital download	Reissue

See also

• Beyoncé discography
• List of number-one albums of 2011 (Ireland)
• List of number-one albums of 2011 (Spain)
• List of number-one hits of 2011 (Switzerland)
• List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2010s
• List of UK R&B Chart number-one albums of 2011
• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2011
• List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 2011

External links

• Official website
• 4 at Discogs (list of releases)